“Now is not the time or place for that conversation. Just remember—if you’re ever in a bind, do whatever you have to do to protect yourself. Without the danger, there’d be no way to stay alive.”
That might have sounded harsh, but there were other more important things right now. Like catching the person able to get so close to Betsy.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Having an uncle, brother-in-law, and stepfather all in law enforcement gave Betsy good insights on when what you saw wasn’t exactly all there was to see. She was beginning to wonder what all she hadn’t picked up on when all three of them had vouched for Cain. Even Officer Kennett.
“I get the feeling there are things about this stakeout that I don’t know.” She tensed as they turned into Peyton’s lot. Police cruisers with silent flashing lights guarded the entrances. A couple more were parked among the vehicle inventory. Even a reporter from the local newspaper had taken up a spot at the edge of the lot.
“We gave you the overview of the setup. But some of the specific details are confidential.” Cain scowled. “You see, part of my job is to watch out for you. Especially while you are anywhere in the vicinity of Peyton’s.”
She blew out a slow sigh through her rounded lips. Maybe she should have just stayed in California…or St. Louis. “I’ve seen you leave before me.”
Cain pulled to a stop in front of the display room and office center, then shifted in his seat. “I may leave, but I stay within sight of the back door. And I follow your car all the way home, or to wherever you stop and go in.”
Suddenly she realized her mouth had dropped open and her brain was sparking on nervous disbelief. As if on automatic, she pointed her finger in his direction. “No. I’ve never seen you anywhere behind me. Never.”
The corner of his mouth quirked upward in a more than cocky smirk. “What can I say? I’m good.”
“That’s going to stop right now.”
His expression snapped into a hard set of his jaw. A narrowing of his eyes. And as the angles hardened even more, he leaned ever so slightly in her direction as he shook his head. “No, Betsy, it’s not.” The tone of his voice was edged with concern and determination. “Even if you decide to pull out of this operation, I’m still going to keep you on my radar.”
Nothing about any of this sat right with her. She’s worked hard to become a trustworthy, professional and knowledgeable automotive dealer. She’s worked hard to keep the promise she’d made her dad to always take care of her mama and sisters. She’d worked hard to protect herself including defensive skills to surveillance training, plus security systems guarded her home and Peyton’s.
Her shell of invincibility had taken hold in her world. She liked it that way. Yet in less than a minute, that confidence of being indestructible had shattered. Shattered in more ways than she’d ever imagined possible. Being vulnerable didn’t feel right.
“Cain, I don’t want to be anybody’s responsibility. Not now. Not ever.”
“I understand, but somebody was able to get awfully close to you. Might have even sat in your chair. Means the ante has increased. That’s not something any of us wants to happen.”
“Anything else?”
“First, let’s see how tonight’s investigation turns out.” He shot her a glance that flashed somewhere between hope that satisfies you and damn it, I’m screwed. “We’ve known one of the higher-ups usually drives a gold Honda Accord. Thankfully that’s not who you saw today.”
A chill whispered through her body. A cold that wasn’t the January weather. “Not today. But I’ve seen it before.”
Cain opened the driver’s side door and jumped out, then stomped toward Deputy Evans at the corner of the building. “We’ve got a bigger problem.”
“You look like a man escaping the hell hath no fury,” Evans mumbled.
Shaking his head, Cain stared into the night.
Betsy walked up beside them. “I heard that remark.”
“Nice to see you, too.” Deputy Evans looked like he always did—meticulous, tired, and serious. “Now what all have we got?”
She shook her head. Why didn’t anyone see the problem with this scenario? Was she the only one thinking? Betsy hated when people tried to put one over on her. “Am I or am I not the owner of this car lot?”
“Yes, you are,” Evans said.
“So wouldn’t it have been wise to let me in on all the particulars of the stakeout?” She paced a five-foot line back and forth, back and forth in front of the deputy. Wait till she called JB. He might be in St. Louis with Marcy and the others right now, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t get an earful just the same. “Did it ever occur to you that I’ve had self-defense classes? That I know how to spot what doesn’t belong?”
Her insides jumbled with all the times watching, hiding, running had saved her. Half the town knew what had happened to her.
“I could have been on the lookout. Told you anything out of the ordinary.” Her voice hitched, even with control. “Left work when everyone else left.”
“All that might sound good on the surface, but it can also make you react differently.” Cain leaned against the front fender of his truck. “Right now, we can’t even be sure who’s on the right side of the law. I always keep that in mind when I start a case.”
